1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for protecting an occupant in a vehicle such as an automobile during a vehicle collision and, more particularly, to combination of an inflatable belt capable of being inflated with gas from a gas generator, and a tongue. The present invention further relates to an inflatable belt device including the combination.
2. Description of Related Art
An inflatable belt device of this type is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication H05-85301 and is shown in FIG. 8. This passenger protective device 1 includes a shoulder belt 2 extending diagonally from the right side to the left side of a passenger, a lap belt 3 extending from the right side to the left side of the passenger, a buckle 4 fixed to, for example, a vehicle floor, a tongue 5 to be inserted into and engaged with the buckle 4 when the passenger wears the belt, and an intermediate guide 6 for guiding the shoulder belt 2.
The shoulder belt 2 includes a webbing 2a, which is the same as a typical conventional seat belt, and an inflatable belt 2b connected to an end of the webbing 2a. The webbing 2a is slidably hung in the intermediate guide 6. The other end of the webbing 2a is connected to a shoulder belt retractor 7 with an emergency locking mechanism (ELR), which is fixed to the vehicle body. The webbing 2a is arranged such that it is wound into the shoulder belt retractor 7.
The inflatable belt 2b is positioned so that it contacts the passenger and is connected to the tongue 5 at an end opposite to the end connected to the webbing 2a. The lap belt 3 is composed of a webbing, which is the same as a typical conventional seat belt, having one end is connected to the tongue 5 and the other end connected to a lap belt retractor 8 (ELR), which is fixed to the vehicle body. A gas generator 9 is connected to the buckle 4. The gas generator 9 is actuated in emergency situations, e.g., vehicle collisions, to generate high-pressure gas. The tongue 5 and the buckle 4 are each provided with passages for introducing gas from the gas generator 9 into the inflatable belt 2b. When the gas generator 9 is actuated, the gas is introduced into the inflatable belt 2b through this passages so that the inflatable belt 2b is inflated.
The tongue 5 disclosed in Japanese publication 5-85301, which allows gas to be introduced therethrough, is cylindrical and stumpy. This shape makes the tongue 5 conspicuous especially when the tongue 5 is hung to extend along the center pillar, thereby spoiling the beauty of a vehicle cabin.